Covering: Cardinals 8, Pirates 5

Let's go Bucs. Time to cool off the cardinals.

It's a broom series.

Pirates Lineup:

1. Gregory Polanco (L) RF
2. Neil Walker (S) 2B
3. Andrew McCutchen (R) CF
4. Starling Marte (R) LF
5. Pedro Alvarez (L) 1B
6. Josh Harrison (R) 3B
7. Francisco Cervelli (R) C
8. Jordy Mercer (R) SS
9. Francisco Liriano (L) P

So 1 game is the going rate for bumping an umpire ? Bill Madlock got 15 for waving his glove in Jerry Crawford's face. It tells you one thing, the umpires union isn't nearly as strong as it was in 1980.

(Sorry for off-topic... but)

Detroit Red Wings ownership officially gives coach Mike Babcock permission to talk to other teams.

(Please resume Pirates discussion. Thank you!)

Maybe Mr. yoe can address the hockey news soon. Interesting comments today on Sirius radio.

Just watched the Commish on MLB TV, discussing the new speed-up rules with Costas. He is happy with results and glad his biggest fear, that disrupting players routines would affect results seems not to have happened. He obviously has not watched JHay's at bats. His annoying, complicated routine has been curtailed. Perhaps that is his problem this season?

Matt Carpenter stayed back in St. Louis suffering from extreme fatigue. That's what all that running around the bases will do to you.

Jerry Meals behind the plate tonight. Anything can happen.

If Alvarez would stay away from all those buffets maybe he would have beat that grounder out.

You just can't keep starting J Hay over Kang and Rodriguez when offense is struggling the way it is. Kang is seeing the ball well - why waste it?

J-hay horror show continues

Thankfully, Walker called off J-Hay there

Thanks, JHay - this MESS of an inning is ALL on you.

Good night everyone, drive home safely.

Root just showed J-hay after the HR. Feel bad for him...but it doesn't mean he should be in there

Ummmmmmmmmm, can Kang please play now?

Wow. 2 out RBI.

We have the right guy in clean-up.

McCutchen has 4 hits the last 2 nights and really hasn't hit one of them hard. Still a long way to go for him.

Okay, J hay basically put 3 runs on the board for STL. But, how about the rest of the team picking him up.

Your turn Pedro. Make something happen.

Caught him right in the cervellis.

So, J-hay, THAT's the way to play defense

The last 4 spots in this order, let's just say it's a good time to take the dog for a walk.

No Matt Carpenter, no problem.
No Matt Adams, no problem.

That's why the Cards are the cream of the crop...

That's what this team does...they tease us by scoring a bunch of runs in one game, then back to struggling the next game...yoi.

Slump advice: concentrate solely on seeing the ball into the hitting zone. Natural hand eye coordination takes over.

Bucs are not looking like a team that is playing with confidence. Bucs had many guys playing and pitching to their max and now the year is showing that.Harrison, Walker, Alverez and Mercer are not cutting it.

Man this team really stinks...

In about an hour the Pirates are going to be 9 games out of first place. So much for all that gum flapping we were treated to all winter and spring.

Wow. That should have been 1 run there.

Really lucky there.

Man, that would have been a disaster

Bout time we caught a break like that.

Pedro just stinks. The count should automatically be 0-2 when he gets up there.

And not pinch hitting for J-Hay...........nice.

Terrible Jordy.

Hey Jordy...the season started last month...

Free Jung Ho

As the season of over analysis by the saber geeks continues I feel compelled to report that all three outs that inning were made on fastballs.

This team is sooooooo sloppy...;

They really miss Russell Martin. More and more everyday in fact.

After tonight, this team will have just 3 division wins vs teams not named the Brewers....so much for all the talk about taking that next step towards a division title.

Kang in...but not at 3rd. I'm missing something

Me thinks this team read too many newspaper clippings about themselves this winter.

And that's game folks....

Not even competing anymore. Ballgame.

Pirates not in same league as Cards. And, Cubs will soon pass Pirates.

You sure they are not inflating the balls?

If only Jordy could have come up with a big hit, things could have been different. 9 games out in early May.... ouch. Gonna be hunting that wildcard all summer long.

We need to trade for Kolten and have the double play combo of Wong and Kang

Wong has like 3 HRs, probably all against the Pirates.

Buccos will now be 4-12 in their last 16 vs the Cards....

Cards can beat you with small ball and the long ball.

Could someone explain to me again why end of the season payroll is all that matters when the team they're paying for now has them in a 9 game hole ?

Kang making a big argument.

Wong is the Todd Frazier of the Cards....

What do you know, a hit from Kang but that's right its much more important to let Mercer and Harrison get their at bats than it is to win games in April and May.

No contest - the Cards play the game as i only wish we could. It will be just like last year if we are lucky enough to get in the 1 game playoff again. They will cry and say we cant be in this position again - we must win the division. Only one problem boys - the Cards are in our division.

Big opportunity to compete here.

Pedro on his way to sub.200 as well. Weak pop out to right.

Bucco Blast Meter can be permanently retired.

Kang scored a run, maybe he should be..............wait.............what? Oh damn, that's right Harrison and Mercer need to get their at bats.

Comment from Pittsburgh City Paper in July:

Liz is a mess...

It was great growing up in the 70s when the Pirates dominated and the Cardinals were basically a non-factor.

So much for that rally.

Jerry Meals, ladies and gentlemen...

Jerry Meals says no timeout.

I'm going to start my same rant from last year...Pedro is the opposite of momentum. The dude is a serious rally killer, and the emotion he shows....none

That made my brain hurt

Hate myself in the morning, but I wish all the umps would make that correct call.

How Meals has a job still is beyond me. If any of us messed up that bad in our jobs we would be gone. That call in Atlanta was one of the worst of all times. A missed call is one thing. It happens. But that was something different. Here he is though, still getting paid and still screwing up.

It's a good thing the Pirates have a much improved bench this year. Otherwise, they might be nine games out of first before the middle of May and be winless against their biggest rival........

Wong will have a shot at the cycle if we leave Bastardo in the game.

Was Bastardo really the best we could get this year to replace Wilson???

Can't win within the division and visiting teams never seem to fear coming to Pittsburgh.

I thought Penguins' season was over.

Remember when Mark Melancon blowing one save was the biggest problem we had ? Yeah, me neither.

Sad thing about this game is the Pirates had a half dozen chances to come back and win the last few innings with just one big hit. Pedro failed twice, Hart failed, Cutch failed and Mercer failed.

Poetic justice. J Hay walk off Grand Slam.

Or a lineout DP to Wong.

I wonder what the probability is that the cards drop a nine game division lead. I bet it's very very small. early in the season or not, the pirates are in a pretty deep hole.

Tired of hearing this team talk, and talk and talk and talk about having to beat the Cards for the division....

Impressive night for the local kid and Cutch is looking better. Still hope.

Love how Blass notes Yadier has lost weight... usually a sign of... wait for it... stopping the roids. Speaking of roids, when will Matt Holliday get caught?

The Pirates lose for the third time this year when they score more than 2 runs. Two of those games Liriano started (9-8 and 8-5).

Buccos still without a walk off win this year...

Oh and Rangers get off the mat again and win 2-1 in OT - sound familiar? Poor Caps fans

Hey!! Only 1.5 games out of second wild card spot!!"

The Martin 3-run blast against Milwaukee last year when down 2-0 late, about the last clutch big hit Pirates have had. Where is Martin anyway? Does he still play baseball?

It's hard to say it's over in May but it's over.

This team would ALWAYS have to rely on its pitching, especially with Martin now gone.

They simply are not getting the job done, period.

Forget the division. IF they are going to make the playoffs it has to be through the WC.

And is it just me...or did the Cardinals get STRONGER since Wainwright went down. It seems really surreal.

In their last 6 games, the Bucs have been out-homered 9-3 by the Reds & Cards even through some stellar starting pitching. I believe 6 of the 9 were hit against members of the rotation, with Liriano lit up twice, despite not allowing many runners in his last 2 starts. And the damage has been done by the usual suspects (Frazier, et al).